Effect of Loading Dose of Atorvastatin Prior to Planned Percutaneous Coronary Intervention on Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Acute Coronary Syndrome: The SECURE-PCI Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The effects of loading doses of statins on clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and planned invasive management remain uncertain. Objective: To determine if periprocedural loading doses of atorvastatin decrease 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with ACS and planned invasive management. Design, Setting, and Participants: Multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial conducted at 53 sites in Brazil among 4191 patients with ACS evaluated with coronary angiography to proceed with a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) if anatomically feasible. Enrollment occurred between April 18, 2012, and October 6, 2017. Final follow-up for 30-day outcomes was on November 6, 2017. Interventions: Patients were randomized to receive 2 loading doses of 80 mg of atorvastatin (n = 2087) or matching placebo (n = 2104) before and 24 hours after a planned PCI. All patients received 40 mg of atorvastatin for 30 days starting 24 hours after the second dose of study medication. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was MACE, defined as a composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, and unplanned coronary revascularization through 30 days. Results: Among the 4191 patients (mean age, 61.8 [SD, 11.5] years; 1085 women [25.9%]) enrolled, 4163 (99.3%) completed 30-day follow-up. A total of 2710 (64.7%) underwent PCI, 333 (8%) underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and 1144 (27.3%) had exclusively medical management. At 30 days, 130 patients in the atorvastatin group (6.2%) and 149 in the placebo group (7.1%) had a MACE (absolute difference, 0.85% [95% CI, -0.70% to 2.41%]; hazard ratio, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.69-1.11; P = .27). No cases of hepatic failure were reported; 3 cases of rhabdomyolysis were reported in the placebo group (0.1%) and 0 in the atorvastatin group. Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with ACS and planned invasive management with PCI, periprocedural loading doses of atorvastatin did not reduce the rate of MACE at 30 days. These findings do not support the routine use of loading doses of atorvastatin among unselected patients with ACS and intended invasive management. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01448642.

Influence of sleep deprivation and morphine on the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in skin of hairless mice.

Skin performs a host of primordial functions that keep the body alive. Morphine is a drug with immunosuppressant properties whose chronic use may lead to increased infection and delayed wound healing. Sleep is a fundamental biological phenomenon that promotes the integrity of several bodily functions. Sleep deprivation adversely affects several systems, particularly the immune system. The aim of this study was to perform an immunohistochemical evaluation on the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in skin of sleep-deprived mice and mice chronically treated with morphine. Adult hairless male mice were distributed into the following groups: Control, morphine, sleep-deprived, and morphine + SD. Morphine (10 mg/kg, subcutaneous) was injected every 12 h for 9 days. Morphine induced immunoexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 and nitric oxide synthase. Sleep deprivation did not modulate outcomes induced by morphine. Morphine, not sleep loss, induces cyclooxygenase-2 and nitric oxide synthase immunoexpression in the skin of hairless mice.

The dual effect of paradoxical sleep deprivation on murine immune functions.

We aimed to evaluate the effect of paradoxical sleep deprivation on the cellular migration during inflammation, the peritoneal macrophage phenotype and the infectious stimulus outcomes. A/J mice were inoculated with thioglycollate and exposed to paradoxical sleep deprivation. Sleep-deprived animals presented decreased cell migration compared to controls. Nitric oxide production was reduced in macrophages from sleep-deprived mice compared to controls. Cell surface analysis showed that sleep deprivation reduced F4/80(+)/CD80(low) peritoneal cell population induced by thioglycollate injection. Sleep-deprived mice were not more susceptible to infection than control mice. Our findings challenge the general perception that sleep loss always increases infection susceptibility.

Wound-healing and benzodiazepines: does sleep play a role in this relationship?

Patients who have suffered burns frequently experience psychological consequences, among which anxiety disorders are prominent. Benzodiazepines are commonly administered to treat these symptoms. The effects of benzodiazepines on healing may not be direct but rather are modulated by alterations of the sleep architecture. This hypothesis is supported by studies that demonstrate the effects of benzodiazepines on the immune system and the inflammatory profile under both normal sleep conditions and during sleep deprivation, particularly rapid eye movement sleep deprivation.

Wound-healing and benzodiazepines: does sleep play a role in this relationship?

Patients who have suffered burns frequently experience psychological consequences, among which anxiety disorders are prominent. Benzodiazepines are commonly administered to treat these symptoms. The effects of benzodiazepines on healing may not be direct but rather are modulated by alterations of the sleep architecture. This hypothesis is supported by studies that demonstrate the effects of benzodiazepines on the immune system and the inflammatory profile under both normal sleep conditions and during sleep deprivation, particularly rapid eye movement sleep deprivation.